IMthethwamatics yenza izibalo zithokozeleke futhi zifundeke kalula
Ukufundiswa kwezibalo kusesimweni esishayisa ngovalo, kodwa sekunenhlangano engenzi nzuzo ehlose ukuphucula ukutholakala kolwazi lwalesi sifundo kothisha nabafundi. Ifuna nokuphucula ukufundwa kwez…
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28 September 2021
Ihunyushwe nguSibongiseni Gumbi
USimo Mthethwa, ofundisa esikhungweni semfundo ephakene i-University of KwaZulu-Natal useqhamuke nohlelo lwesimanje oluzophucula ukufundisa nokufundwa izibalo ezingeni lamabanga aphansi naphezulu ezikoleni.
Uhlose ukuphucula indlela abafundi bakuleli abasalela ngayo emuva uma beqhathwe nabakwamanye amazwe enza kangcono ezifundweni zezibalo.
UMthethwa uvele unothando lwezibalo kanti useze uneziqu eziphezulu zobudokotela kulesi sifundo. Uhlelo lwakhe – ubhalise iMthethwamatics njengohlelo lwenhlangano engenzi nzuzo ngasekuqaleni kwalo nyaka – luyingxenye ekhombisa uthando lwakhe lokufunda izibalo nokunye okuhambisana nazo.
“Igama leli elithi Mthethwamatics lihlanganise isibongo sami negama lezibalo lesingisi i-mathematics. Leli gama lizimele ngokwalo nje, liwumzamo wokususa ukwesaba ngalesi sifundo> Lenzelwe nokuthi lizwakale kangcono nakubantu bomdabu wase-Afrika,” uMthethwa usho kanje.
UMthethwa udabuka esigodini saseSabhuza Empangeni enyakatho yogu lwaKwaZulu-Natal, kanti ukuchazeka kwakhe ngezinombolo yinto endala eyaqala esesikoleni samabanga aphansi wayiqhuba noma esezikhungweni zemfundo ephakeme.
“Izibalo yinto engiphila ngayo, impilo yami yonke ijikeleza kuzo izibalo. Ngifundisa ngazo ngiphinde ngicwaninge ngazo.”
Kwaqala kuwumbono nje, manje sewuyasebenza
Ngesikhathi efunda iziqu zakhe ze-degree ngonyaka ka-2014, uMthethwa wayenohlelo ayenalo lokufundisa othisha bezibalo ngakubo. Kulapho abona khona ukuthi kunokungaqondani okukhulu phakathi kothisha nabafundi. Wabe esenquma ukusungula iMthethwamatics ngonyaka ka-2016, okuyimanje sekuwuhlelo olumalungu ezweni lonke jikelele.
Noma ngabe ngubani – kusuka kubazali, abafundi nothisha bengajoyina kulolu hlelo lwakhe lwezifundo noma bacele ukuthunyelelwa ulwazi nge-email.
USihawukele Mdletshe, oneminyaka eyishumi nane (14), waseMpangeni noKagiso Boitumelo Mohulatsi, oneminyaka eyishumi nesikhombisa (17) waseLichtenburg esifundazweni sasenhla nezwe iNorth West bangabafundi ngaphansi kohlelo lweMthethwamatics.
UMdletshe, owenza ibanga lesishiyagalolunye (grade 9) esikoleni samabanga aphezulu iMningi High School, usenezinyanga eziyisithupha ebhalisile ohlelweni lweMthetwhamatics.
Ubenenkinga ngemifanekiso yezibalo namagama e-algebra ngaphambi kokuthi angene kulolu hlelo, kusho yena. Kodwa kuthe uma esengene ohlelweni plibizwa ngeFundisa iSizwe (Teach the Nation) lwefundo ezenziwa ngobuchwepheshe besimanje kwaba ngcono ukuqonda kwakhe lesi sifundo.
“Bayaziqonda izingqinamba zethu ngalesi sifundo futhi banesineke, okuyinto wonke umfundi ayidingayo,” kusho le ntokazi esencane yakwaMdletshe.
OMohulatsi wabona okokuqala iMthethwamatics kwiFacebook. Wavele waba nesifiso sokwazi kabanzi ngalolu hlelo ngaso sona leso sikhathi.
“Ngavuseleleka uma ngibona abantu abasebancane ababengenele umncintiswano owawenziwa ngobuchwepheshe besimanje bezokuxhumana iVirtual Maths Competition … nokubona uDkt Simo Mthethwa enza umehluko ezimpilweni zabafundi ngokuqeda ukwesaba okuvele kukuhlangabeze uma uke waqala wakhuluma ngezibalo. Nami ngafisa ukuba yingxenye yalo mndeni owenza izitno ezinhle kanje,” kusho yena.
UMohulatsi ujoyine lolu hlelo ngasekuqaleni konyaka. Ubenenkinga ngokuthile ngezibalo okuyinto ebisimhluphe isikhathi eside. Kodwa manje sekungcono kakhulu futhi ubonga akaphezi kuMthethwa ngalokho.
Ungena izifundo ezenziwa ngobuchwepheshe bozokuxhumana besimanje ngezimpelasonto, kodwa uMohulatsi uthi uMthethwa umsiza noma ngabe kunini uma kukhona angakuqondi kahle ngezibalo.
UMohulatsi uyazithanda izibonelo ezilula nazibonayo nasempilweni yakhe ezenziwa kwiMthethwamatics nokuthi uyakwazi ukuthola usizo kothisha abaningi abehlukene bezibalo abaqhamuka ezinhlakeni namazinga okwehlukene. Lokhu kwehlukile kunasesikoleni la kuba khona uthisha oyedwa osuke ebhekene nabafundi.
“Ngithanda indlela othisha abenza izibalo zibe lula ngayo. Indlela abafundisa ngayo yenza kube lula kumfundi ukubona bese ebamba abakushoyo,” kusho yena. UMohulatsi wenza ibanga leshumi nambili (grade 12) esikoleni samabanga aphakeme iColigny.
Ukutshala uthando lwezibalo
Omunye wabasiza uMthethwa ukwenza izibalo zibe yisifundo esifikeleleka kalula futhi esijabulelekayo ngu-Andrew Falatsi Khomo, oneminyaka engamashumi amabili nanye (21), ongumfundi wase-University of the Witwatersrand. Wenza unyaka wakhe wokugcina kwiziqu zeBSc futhi ungumengameli wenhlangano yabafundi abafundela imisebenzi ehambisana nezibalo iWits Astronomy Club.
UMthethwa “akazi ukuthi ngingomunye wabantu abafaka umfutho, ayisibonelo esihle kubo”, kusho uKhomo ongomunye wothisha ngaphansi kwezinhlelo zeMthethwamatics.
Enye yezinto ezingelona iqiniso kodwa ezisabalele yonke idnawo ngezibalo wukuthi ziyisifundo ezinzima futhi okungelula ukusiphasa. Kuthiwa izibalo zinesidina futhi azisizi ngalutho empilweni bese kuphinde kuthiwe ayikho nemisebenzi ongayothola ngazo, kusho uKhomo. Ujabule ngokuthi iMthethwamatics iyakujika lokhu kucabanga okungelona iqiniso.
IMthethwamatics ifundisa ngokwakha izibonelo nokuxoxisana phakathi komfundi nothisha, ngokusho kukaKhomo. Ukuthenga amehlo omfundi, lolu hlelo lunemiqhudelwano ehambisana nemiklomelo emihle. Indlela yabo wukufundisa ngokwenza izibonelo ngokuxoxisana ukuze wonke umuntu aqonde kahle.
Ithimba elizinikele
Omunye uthisha ozinikele kulolu hlelo nguThami Vezi oneminyaka engamashumi amabili nesishiyagalolunye (29), waseMlazi, KwaZulu-Natal. Ufundisa amabanga kusukela kweleshumi kuya kweleshumi nambili e-Inanda Seminary High School okuwumsebenzi asewenze kusukela eminyakeni emihlanu edlule. Usebe yingxenye yeMthethwamatics unyaka owodwa.
“Sihlale sifuna izindlela ezehlukene zokuxhumana nabafundi ngendlela ezobaheha ukuze sikhulume ngezibalo besesiweni sokukhululeka. Umbono weMthethwamatics wukwenza izibalo zibe yimfashini ukuze zikwazi ukuthi zihehe kubabafundi,” kusho uVezi.
Ngokuba yingxenye yeMthethwamatics, uVezi usefunde ukusebenzisa imidlalo ethile ukuqinisa indlela yakhe yokufundisa nokufunda. Uthi uyakuthokozela ukuhlanganyela nabanye ozakwabo kulolu hlelo.
UVezi uveze izizathu ezenza othisha babe nenkinga ekufundiseni ngendlela eyenza kube lula kumfundi ukubamba izibalo. “Inkinga yolimi: izincwadi zezibalo ngokujwayelekile zibhalwe ngesiNgisi, lokhu kuyabalimaza abangaluqondi kahle lolu limi.
“Umbono omubi ngezibalo: kunombono omubi emphakathini ngalesi sifundo. Ukugqoza kolwazi lwezinto ezisobala njengokusebenzisa umqondo ukuzicabangela ezinye izinto,” kusho yena.
Abafundi banenkinga ngokufanayo nothisha uma kuziwa olimini, kusho uVezi. Bavele baphelelwe ngamandla nothando ngoba ulwazi lubhalwe ngesiNgisi okwenza bengakwazi ukuluncela ngendlela abafisa ngayo abaningi. Lokhu kuphinde kwengezelwe wukuthi lwezibalo zivele zinolimi lwazo nje zizodwa, kanti lokhu kubafundi abaningi eNingizimu Afrika kuwudonga abazithola lubavimba.
Ukungenzi kahle ezibalweni yinto okungelula igwemeke ngenxa yokungalutholi ulwazi oluyilo kusukela ebuncaneni “ezingeni lezikole zamabanga aphansi”. Lokhu kwengezelwa kakhulu nawukushoda kolwazi kothisha.
Ukujoyina iMthethwamatics kuphucula indlela yakhe yokufundisa uma eme phambi kwabafundi egunjini lokufundela.
“Ukushintshisana ngamacebo nezindlela zokufundisa phakathi kothisha abehlukene basemazingeni ehlukene kusiza uthisha abe nezindlela eziningi ezehlukene zokufundisa izibalo,” kusho uVezi.
Kudingeka kube nokugcizelela ekutheni ngabafundi abalawula okwenzeka egunjini lokufundela futhi konke kube ngabo, kwengeza yena. Uthi izifundo akumele zigxile kuphela kulokho olubhalwe phansi ezincwadini kodwa kumele kusetshenziswe nokuzicabangela komfundi ngamunye.
Indlela entsha yokwenza izinto
UMthethwa uthi indlela yakhe yokwenza wukuchaza, abonise, akhumbuze bese eqinisa. “Chaza into ngokwezibalo. Yenze ibonakale ngokwempilo ngokwenza izibonelo ngokuthi kuyithinta kanjani impilo yomfundi yansukuzonke, noma indlela ehlangana ngayo nezinye izinto ezikhona empilweni. Bakhumbuze ukuchazwa kwayo ngokwencwadi ukuze bangaqheli kakhulu kulokho uma sebecabanga ukuze bangaduki. Kuqinise ngokuthi wenze izibonelo ezikhombisa ukubaluleka kwakho.
“Ukuze siqede lo mbono wokuthi ‘awukho umsebenzi ongawuthola ngezibalo’ simema ososayensi bezibalo nabanye abasemikhakheni yemisebenzi eyehlukene ehambisana nezibalo noma okungenwa kuyo ngezibalo ukuba bazoxoxela abafundi, othisha nemiphakathi ngemisebenzi yabo,” kusho uMthethwa ongumsunguli walolu hlelo.
“Lokhu kuhlukene kabili, okuwuhlelo lwemisebenzi etholakala ngezibalo nocwaningo lwezibalo. Kokubili kuhlose ukubulala ulwazi olingelona iqiniso ngezibalo njengesifundo.”
Ingxenye yemincintiswano yalolu hlelo, “ihlose ukufundisa umphakathi ngezinye izinto ezimqoka ngezibalo ngokunjalo nolwazi lwabantu abasebenza ngezibalo bakuleli nabasemazweni ehlukene,” kusho uMthethwa. Le mincintiswano ivuleleke kuwo wonke umuntu ofisa ukuyingenela.
Ingxenye yokuFundisa iSizwe (Teach the Nation) yalolu hlelo iveza ithuba lokuthola izifundo eziseqophelweni eliphezulu kubo bonke abafundi kusukela ebangeni labasalungiselelwa ukuqala isikole (grade R) kuya kwabebanga leshumi nambili (grade 12). Othisha abanekhono nosolwazi bezibalo abehlukene bayamenywa ukuba bazothula izifundo zezibalo.
Lezi zifundo zikhonjiswa bukhoma ezinkundleni zokuxhumana kwiFacebook no-Instagram.
UKhomo uphetha ngokuthi izibalo ziwulimi olufanayo kuyo yonke indawo futhi ziyinto ethokozelekayo. UMohulatsi uyavumelana nalokhu. Uncoma iMthethwamatics ngothando oselubaseleke ngaphakathi kuye ngalesi sifundo. Lena yiyona ngqo into uMthethwa ayeyihlosile ngesikhathi esungula le nmhlangano ngonyaka ka-2016.